Under The Apple Tree
by FinnickOdair-Will-Live-Forever
Summary: "I dare you to ask Clove Fuhrman on a date." Marvel grinned. It's not like I'd had a crush on her since I was fourteen or anything. Not at all. Oneshot.


**This is an AU oneshot, set in high school. :) I promised a happier Clato oneshot, so here it is! :) I don't own The Hunger Games.**

"Cato, truth or dare?" Marvel asked me. I mentally rolled my eyes. Did he even have to ask?

"Dare." I responded cockily.

"I dare you to ask Fuhrman out on a date." Marvel grinned, slightly evilly. Our other friends, Thresh, Glimmer, Johanna, Brutus, Cashmere, Gloss and Enobaria started laughing.

"Come on dude. That's not fair." I protested. I'd had a crush on Clove since I was fourteen. Now, at seventeen, we were good friends and I was too nervous to make a move. Not that I'd ever admit that. The whole school knew, except for Clove. Sometimes I wish she did know, just so I could find out her feelings for me.

"You chose dare." He reminded me. I scowled at him and stood up. We were sat at one lunch table and Clove was sat with Annie, Katniss, Finnick, Haymitch and Peeta at another. They'd be sat with us if the tables weren't so small. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before making my way over to Clove. She glanced up at me when I sat down next to her.

"Hey, Cato." She smiled, looking up from her History text book.

"Being a nerd again, Fuhrman?" I teased, poking the book. She rolled her eyes at me.

"No. Miss Trinket's making me read up on the Egyptians because I missed last lesson." She glared at me pointedly.

"It wasn't my fault!" I protested, holding my hands up in surrender.

"Yes it was! You locked me in your bathroom for half a day so I missed school!" She yelled, slapping my arm.

"Well, you should've said I was sexy. I would have let you out." I poked her on the noise. She laughed and swatted my hand away. I looked around the table. He friends were watching us, smirking slightly.

"Finnick, you good for the game next Friday?" I asked, drawing the attention away from me and Clove.

"You know I am." He smirked and slung his arm around Annie's shoulders. I glanced at Marvel and he mouth '_get out with it!'_

"So, Clove." I said, turning to face her. I rest my elbow on the edge of the table.

"So, Cato." She copied my position. I pulled a piece of icing off of the top of her cupcake and popped it in my mouth.

"Mmm, strawberry." I muttered. She rolled her eyes again.

"Now that you're done abusing my cupcake, is there a reason you're over here? Or did you just want to bully my lunch?" Clove smirked. I awkwardly looked over at the others sat at the table.

"I want some coffee. So does Finnick." Katniss said, standing up. "Come on, Peeta." Katniss grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

"Yeah, um…Coffee." As Finnick pulled Annie away with him I heard her mutter,

"But you hate coffee!"

"I'm sure I have people to mock somewhere." Haymitch said as he got up from the table and walked away.

"Well, that was rude. We're not that bad, are we?" Clove asked, looking confused. I chuckled and ruffled her hair. She slapped me lightly.

"Now now, Clove. No need to get violent."

"Just tell me what you want so I can go back to my cupcake." She muttered.

"Oh, um, well…" I had no idea what to say. I glanced at Marvel again and he impatiently tapped his wrist. He wasn't even wearing a watch.

"Spit it out, Cato." Clove sighed.

"Willyougoonadatewithme?" I mumbled, blushing slightly.

"What did you say?" Clove smirked. She knew exactly what I said.

"You know what I said, Fuhrman." I smiled and tickled her sides. She screamed and slapped the side of my head.

"Say it properly or I'll say no." She grinned.

"Will you, Princess Clove Fuhrman, go on a date with a lowly peasant like me? Or will I need to grow more turnips for you to say yes?" I asked sarcastically. She rolled her eyes for the millionth time.

"After that speech, how could I refuse?" She grinned. I flashed Marvel a thumbs up. I watched him whisper something to Glimmer, and then the she-devil herself walked over and sat down opposite us.

"Heya Clove!" She said cheerfully.

"Um, hey Glimmer." Clove said, clearly confused by Glimmer's cheerfulness. I eyed her warily. Glimmer had this weird thing about Clove, she hated her.

"Good job Cato, you can tell her it was all a dare now." Glimmer smirked and made her way back to the other table and sat herself down between Enobaria and Cashmere.

"Of course it was. You're just a jerk like the rest of them aren't you, Cato?" She shook her head as she stood up and shouldered her bag. The fact that she wasn't yelling told me that she was pretty pissed off.

"It's not like that, Clove." I stood up and followed her as she made her way out of the cafeteria. Clove turned on her heel and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Did they or did they not dare you to ask me out?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah, but-" I didn't even have time to finish my sentence before she was out of the door. I stuck my middle finger up at Glimmer before running after Clove. I caught up with her on the field at the back of the school. I grabbed her wrist and she spun around to face me. I was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" I asked, not sure what to say. I wanted to punch whoever made her cry, but punching Glimmer and then myself would have looked a bit strange.

"Oh, I don't know Cato. Maybe because I thought you might actually have feelings. I won't make that mistake again. I mean, it's not like I have a crush on you or anything." She snapped sarcastically and glared at me.

"Clove, I-"

"Don't waste your breath on me, Cato. I'm obviously not good enough to even stand in a ten foot radius of you or any of the other popular whores. Maybe I should just step back a few feet so you don't catch any nerd germs!" She scowled. She stepped backwards, her back bumping into the trunk of an old apple tree.

"Where did you get that idea?" I asked, trying not to laugh at the fact that she said 'nerd germs'. I walked towards her again.

"From you! You guys think you're so high and mighty! Like that gives you a right to play with people's feelings." She yelled, poking me in the shoulder.

"Hey, they may have dared me to ask you out but I would have eventually anyway! I've had a crush on you since I was fourteen, Clove! I'll admit it, I was secretly gladwhen Marvel dared me to do it, because it gave me the chance I've been waiting for!" I yelled, taking her hand in mine. Her eyes softened slightly, but she still glared at me.

"I'm telling the truth, I swear. I'm not just a spoilt brat like the others, I actually _care _about others. I care about _you_." We stood there in silence for a few minutes, staring straight into each other's eyes. Clove's glare was cold and unforgiving. Mine was pleading. I sighed and, seeing that I was getting nowhere with just words, leaned forward and kissed her. Her lips were soft and sweet. I pressed her harder into the apple tree as I wrapped my arms around her waist. After a while, she looped her arms around my neck and started kissing me back. When we finally pulled away, gasping for air, she looked up at me.

"Pick me up at eight." She muttered as she walked away.


End file.
